1. Please tell us what made Carlos Neto want to follow dance? Back in 2002 my martial arts teacher started to teach dance and kept expressing the importance of dance for total body awareness. This led me to try dance class and never stop since then. Martial arts transitioned fully into dance when I moved to the UK to attend college. After I finished my journalism degree I realized there was nothing I wanted to do more than dance.
2. What is something that you always wanted to do in your career but have not had the time to yet?
Turn my Backstage Articles that I’ve written over the years into a compelling book for other artists. 3. Who are some dancers or choreographers that inspired you early on in your career?
So many!!
USA: Patrick Chen, Jayson Wright, Marty kudelka, Gigi Torres, Nick Bass, Misha Gabriel, Kevin Maher, Dana Wilson, Lyle Beniga, David Moore, Nick Demoura, Kenny Wormald
UK: Ryan Chappell, Xavi Monreal, Tony Adigun, Turbo, John Graham, Kate Prince.
Portugal: Ricardo Pereira, Marco Silva, Joao Marques, Luis Neves.
Japan: Shit Kingz
4. You have been all over the world teaching. Name a couple places besides New York City you enjoy teaching and why.
Mexico! Just love it! The weather, the people, the culture, the music, the little villages that remind me of Portugal where I grew up.
Japan, the food, the culture, brings me memories of my karate sensei and the discipline he used to instill in us.
5. If you didn't pursue dance what would be your next career choice?
Chef or Pilot (Chef for sure!!) hahaha 6. What are some other styles of dance you wish you trained in but never did?
Tap (I take a few classes but would love to put more time into it) and Krump. 7. Give us some names of your favorite songs to dance and train to I would rather mention artists as it’s too difficult to pin point which songs I actually like the most. My music choices vary widely. Choreographically I always love to work with music by MJ, Jamiroquai, J Lo, Stevie Wonder, Prince. Different music from the early 2000s resonates with me because that is when I started to get into dance. Deep House. Lately I’ve been getting more into alternative ’tropical’ EDM (whatever you call that). It’s just too hard to pick specific songs. It truly depends on the mood.
8. Top 3 Favorite Music Videos (Dance Wise)
Would have to think very hard about this. The videos that marked me the most:
JT Like I Love You
MJ Bad
Bomfunk Mc’s Freestyler
9. Who is your favorite Choreographer and why? Marty kudelka was one of the first dancers I discovered when I was growing up and starting to take dance more seriously. When I heard of him and paid attention to his work I felt his style was different from anything else that was around at that time. Lightness, clear lines, textures, simplicity of movement that made sense. Not only do I think his work in the commercial world is impressive, but his classes always included the perfect amount of advice that left us feeling that we, as student/ dancers, were working towards something bigger than just dance class. Professionalism.
10. If you had to compare your dance style to a superhero who would it be?
Man… I don’t know… I like to think of it as truthful to the styles that I train and inspire from… clean, sharp with simplicity. kinda like James Bond lol that’s not a super hero … how about Bruce Wayne? You will hate me for this terrible answer.
